Looking back: “Gestalte deine Zukunft” workshop series

The series of workshops was organised by the Central Coordination Office for Refugee Integration (Zentrale Koordinierungsstelle für Flüchtlingsintegration, ZKF) of Department VIII International Affairs. In addition to the language courses at the Language Centre (Sprachenzentrum, SPZ), the workshops provide important guidance on various topics relating to studies and career paths and also give the participants the opportunity to network with each other.

After a short introduction by the ZKF team, on the first day the participants were able to discover their own abilities at the “Guide to Choosing a Study Programme” presentation and discuss their wishes and questions about planning their studies with Ms. Faßbender of the Central Student Advisory Service (Zentrale Studierendenberatung, ZSB).

At the first day’s end, the participants had a lot of fun at TUtor International’s “Learning German through play” programme. Here they had the opportunity to expand their vocabulary in a relaxed atmosphere. This weekly programme offered by TUtor International, which, like the ZKF, is part of the International Student Services , is open to refugees and all international students alike.

The second day of the event was dedicated to possibilities of successfully entering ones career and the special features of the German labour market. The Coachingwerk from Cologne provided insights into the ways of “successful job applications”. Finally, all participants had the opportunity to have application photos taken on site.

The event concluded with an introduction to studying and everyday life at TU Darmstadt. A short presentation by the ZKF, including a Q&A session, provided insights into the topics of application, admission and enrolment for international students. Afterwards, a former participant of the preparatory language courses and an active student reported on their personal experiences of studying computer science at TU Darmstadt.

The University Sports Centre (Unisportzentrum, USZ) then presented its wide range of courses and leisure activities at TU Darmstadt. A final round of games offered another opportunity to get to know each other in a relaxed atmosphere. This rounded off three very intensive days full of information, new contacts and insights into studying and working life in Germany for all participants and presenters.